Abstract
Certifications and labels aim to provide information on how ethical products are and give specific criteria for consumers. They are prevalent in a wide range of industrial fields including not only organic and fair trade, but also agriculture, forestry, fisheries, textiles, and various commodities. However, no unified “ethical certification” scheme exists at present, and there are a lot of differences among the labels and certifications in their contents, transparency, and reliability. For example, in the field of organic textiles, much attention is given to the keyword “ethical fashion.” Some certification schemes regarding organic cottons have played a crucial role in giving mass-market appeal to ethical consumption. Nowadays, addressing environmental and social problems throughout the supply chain has become a necessity. In this paper, I give some examples of internationally accepted third-party certifications that are also being used in various Japanese industries. I go on to discuss the role of certification and labels in popularizing ethical consumption.
